I agree with you that it’s partly due to being a holdover from the industrial revolution, but I also believe it’s due to how we approach the role of leadership. In other words, do we want those we lead to simply be mindless drones, bending to our every whim or do we want people bringing a purpose-driven energy to their role. If we think about how much time and effort is spent on canvassing for employees, interviewing them and evaluating how well they’d both fit in the role and the company, it’s amazing that we then expect them to take all those elements of themselves that we were initially attracted to and keep it outside of the workplace.

Thanks again, Susan, for sharing your thoughts on this. I’m going to be posting a follow-up on this, looking at the other key relationship in business – that between a company and its customers.

I often joke with clients that while they have a bring your kid or even your pet to work day, it may be a better idea to start having a bring yourself to work day. At some point they realize I think that should be everyday!

Another excellent post Tanveer! I am also now looking forward to seeing this movie. Thanks!
.-= Susan Mazza´s last blog ..Casting off the “Good Junk” =-.

I think you’re absolutely right that with the rise in usage of social media outlets as a business tool for customer attraction and engagement, there’s an even greater need to recognize the necessity of making business more personal.

Thanks to the comments here and on Twitter, I’ve been inspired for a follow-up piece to this one touching on this very point that I’ll post on my blog next week.

And that line from the film makes a great point that we tend to forget – that in business, we can’t simply focus on our end of the equation if we want a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship.

Thanks again for the kind words, Nacie, and for sharing your thoughts on this.

One of my favorite lines about business being personal and being able to make it a proud part of yourself actually comes from that cute movie “You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. When he tells her it wasn’t personal, it was just business, she says, “All that means is it wasn’t personal to you…what’s so wrong with it being personal? Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.”

In total agreement – whatever anything else should be it should start by being personal!
.-= Nacie Carson´s last blog ..Getting Serious About Stress =-.

Thanks for sharing your story. It’s incredible how, despite all that’s been written lately about workplace wellness and productivity, many companies still insist on pushing this absurd notion that we have to put ourselves in auto-pilot mode when we’re at work.

It reminds me of this phrase a friend of mine had on his coffee cup -

“My brain starts working first thing in the morning and keeps going until I get to work”

It should be more evident to businesses that this is counter-productive, but sadly many companies are run by people who simply want a workforce of automatons than engaged team members.

Thanks again, Frank, for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Hope to see you here again soon.

I worked in an office of full-time Network Marketers back in the early ’90′s. Now tell me, what better setting to need the “personal” touch than a bunch of Network Marketers trying to grow their respective businesses?

Nope – “check your emotions at the door buddy.” Having a bad day? Put a cork in it. Wife got a promotion – good for her – now move on – get back to business.

Here’s a thought – that Network Marketing company is now out of business.

Let’s get personal!

Thanks for the reminder Tanveer.

In regards to bringing a personal touch to business, what we need to address out in the open is that unfounded notion that showing that we have feelings at work is a sign of weakness. The irony is that if we look at our past examples of bosses, supervisors and other leadership types who came off as being cold and indifferent, we wouldn’t think they were strong or assertive. On the contrary, we no doubt look upon them as being callous and mean.

We have to remember that the people that work with us, or under our leadership, were picked over anyone else not simply because they could work off a spreadsheet, or decipher a line of code; rather it was because of that inner spark they displayed at their job interview to which we made a connection and which we saw could bring value to our team.

I’m confident that those businesses that remember that moment and return to embracing it will be the ones that help to usher in the new business models and approaches to the workforce that will see take hold over the coming years.

Thanks again for your thoughts on this, Janet. And again, thank you for your kind words about my writing. I really do appreciate that.